WWE's partnership with ESPN will start sooner than expected

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STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — WWE's partnership with ESPN will start earlier than first announced.

The WWE's first premium live event on the network's platforms will be Wrestlepalooza from Indianapolis on Sept. 20. John Cena, who will retire from professional wrestling at the end of the year, will be part of the card.

The other two premium live events this year — Crown Jewel on Oct. 11 and the Nov. 29 Survivor Series — will also be available to subscribers of ESPN's direct-to-consumer streaming service who have the unlimited plan.

ESPN's direct-to-consumer package and upgraded app will debut on Thursday.

When ESPN announced its deal with WWE on Aug. 6, the premium live events were supposed to move from Peacock in early 2026. A date was not announced, but it was supposed to happen before WrestleMania.

Peacock, which had been the home of WWE's premium live events since March 2021, will be the home of “Saturday Night's Main Event,” beginning Nov. 1. Cena's retirement match will be Dec. 13.

Saturday Night’s Main Event originally premiered on NBC in 1985 and ran until 1991. The show, which airs four times per year, returned in September.

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